Holiday Spirit
by MiHnn
Summary: The Mikaelsons decide to celebrate Christmas in New Orleans with a ball; a ball that Hayley would rather not attend if there were better things to do, thank you very much.


**A/N: Written for tvd holidays 2013.**

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Holiday Spirit

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The house reminded her of an ethereal dream she had once had as a child. There were low-hanging crystal chandeliers and candlelight brightening the place up, a few baubles conspicuously placed here and there, while holly wreathes covered almost every inch of the rich wood making the house seem more festive, almost alive. What struck her most was the slight smell of cinnamon, which made her think of mothers baking in the kitchen and families sitting around a fireplace that had a string of named stockings attached to it.

Hayley smiled to herself as she took her time coming down the stairs, her eyes studying the changes that a certain vampire bitch had managed to pull off regardless of the few hours she had to plan the festivities. When Rebekah had told her that she intended to throw a party, Hayley had no idea she had this in her mind.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath, her hand automatically rising to touch her large stomach, "Looks like your aunt wasn't lying, after all."

"Of course I wasn't lying," Rebekah said with flare as she entered from the adjoining room, a male vampire in tow. "I don't lie about these things. I throw a mean party." Turning to the vampire, she made a flippant gesture for him to leave. "I told you, an angel on top of the tree, not a star. Go on, then."

The vampire nodded before leaving, and Rebekah turned towards Hayley with a raised eyebrow. "You look nice."

"Thanks." Hayley smiled politely, the fingers on her stomach tightening just a fraction before she dropped her hand. "You too."

"Thank you," Rebekah said in a bored tone. "It's an old dress."

"Funny, I thought the fashion was very _now._"

"Oh, you know humans," she said dismissively. "Nothing ever goes out of style. Keep something long enough and it's bound to be of some use again."

"Is that right?" a familiar voice said from the side, as a sly grin played on Klaus' lips. "Are we talking about anyone in particular, sister?"

"No, Niklaus, not everything is about you." Turning on her heels, she stalked back into the adjoining room, immediately calling for another vampire minion. "Is the wine ready?"

Klaus watched his sister's departure with amusement before turning to look at Hayley for the first time. "You look particularly ravishing today." He said the words with as much charm as he could muster, his hand raising hers so that he could brush his lips against her knuckles.

"Are you talking to me or to the baby?" Hayley found herself asking him dryly.

Klaus stood up straight, his hand dropping hers and the light of amusement in his eyes diminishing fast. "It appears you are yet to forgive me for the incident."

"Oh, I don't know. Forgiveness is such a hard word to act out."

He stepped forward, his eyes darkening and a scowl on his lips. "I did what I had to do to keep you safe."

"They were my family."

"They wanted you _dead_."

"Not all of them," she said stubbornly. "There were some who wanted to protect me—"

"And what? Some who wanted you in their family?" he mocked. "Some who cared about you? Who wanted you to be a part of their pack? So you could be with them, get hunted _with_ them? There is something you must never forget, Hayley. As long as my child resides in you, you will be kept safe, make no mistake about that. But, I will not tolerate insubordination because of that privilege you were lucky to have. Is that understood?"

"Don't be a drag, Niklaus," Rebekah said smoothly as she stepped alongside them. "She's smart enough to leave well enough alone." She looked at Hayley meaningfully. "Aren't you?"

Hayley watched them both, the brother intent on controlling her, and the sister intent on including her. It was a family with a three board chess game played by all three, and she was slowly losing her mind as to what move she should focus on next.

"Understood," Hayley said with a wide smile, one that Klaus knew immediately was false, if he could read her the way she allowed him.

He stepped back, still clearly displeased with her, but Rebekah urged him to follow her. Guests had started to come in, Rebekah said, as she grabbed her dear brother and lead him away.

Hayley looked around with a shaky breath, suddenly cursing the fact that she was pregnant because the urge to drink couldn't be ignored. But, sparkling cider would do, if she could find some.

She found the bottle easily enough, which she stole from the waiter who was too busy adding more decorations to the already splendid Christmas tree Rebekah had had put up. Stealing a champagne glass along with the bottle, she stepped outside into the cool New Orleans air and breathed a sigh of relief. A few more weeks, maybe even a few more days, and she would have a baby in her arms. She tried to think of other things that scared her more, and came up with an embarrassingly short number of terrors.

She made her way to the one area Rebekah had cut off for the party and sat down on the long bench where she usually frequented to sit and think.

She had the scent of him before he joined her, choosing to lean against the pillar and watch her as she poured herself some cider.

"I thought you might be here."

"You thought right." She lifted the glass towards him. "Would you like some?"

He shook his head, moving to sit beside her on the bench and pick the bottle from her hand and read the label. "Sparkling cider…"

"The only type of alcohol I can actually have." She raised her glass in a sarcastic toast before she took a sip and closed her eyes to happily experience it.

"You are in the mood for alcohol, I assume." He smiled with amusement as he placed the bottle on the ground between them.

She opened one eye to give him, in all honesty, the stink-eye, just for his tone of voice. "I always need alcohol when dealing with your brother."

"Ah." His tone darkened considerably. "This is about the executions."

"This is about my family. He was unapologetic, as usual."

"He always is," Elijah muttered under his breath. "But, that is hardly the point. Rebekah is throwing you a ball and you are out here drinking sparkling cider. Some might think you are not in a festive mood…?"

"Really?" She rewarded his splendid detective skills with a cheeky grin. "And here I thought it was because it's the first Christmas your family is spending in New Orleans for the first time in, what was it, one hundred years?"

"Three hundred," he said with a slight smile. "Give or take a few days."

"Ah. So I was almost right, then."

"Yes." He laughed. "Almost right."

Her smile widened, as did his, and just as it almost always seemed to happen, Elijah looked away. It took him leaning back for her to notice that he had been leaning forward all this time. To be specific, leaning towards her. He didn't leave though, like he always did. That was an improvement.

"I can't believe it's nearly over," she said, mostly to break the awkward silence that had settled over them. Moving to keep her glass on the thick armrest, she placed her hand on her large belly, the sense of fear settling inside her once again. She looked up at him, her only ally, her one and true friend in this strange city. "What will happen to me?"

He shifted in his seat so that he was that much closer to her, his expression one of serious contemplation as he studied her. "Nothing bad will happen to you, I swear it."

"You don't know that."

He dropped his gaze to take her hand in his, watching just as she did as their fingers entwined. "You're family now. I protect my family." His eyes rose to meet hers. "We all do."

Hayley let out a soft sigh before she shook her head. "You don't understand. Klaus wants this baby. I don't know if I could stay here with him, knowing what kind of person he is."

"Hayley—"

"But if you promise to stay with the child, to raise him, that would change things."

He stared at her for a moment before he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. Hayley gladly went with him, so she could put her head on his shoulder and hide her expression from him.

"I give you my word, your child will be loved and wanted. Niklaus might want to teach the child things that we do not approve of, but we will teach the child love, affection, forgiveness, and most of all, loyalty and trust. You are forgetting that your child will have you. You will not be harmed by anyone, least of all by my brother. You are under my protection. Make no mistake about that."

She felt a small smile fight through when she felt his lips lightly brush her hair.

She moved her head back to thank him, when her eyes fell on the plant dangling above them. "When your sister gets into something, she really gets into it."

Elijah looked up, a chuckle escaping him when he saw the mistletoe. "Rebekah loves fantasies and fairy tales."

"And you?" she asked coyly, causing him to look down at her as she rested on his shoulder. "You don't believe in fairy tales?"

The corner of his lips quirked slightly. "I much prefer reality. Those dreams are much easier to obtain."

"I can appreciate that. If this was a fairy tale, I would have no problem asking you to kiss me."

His smile dropped so fast, she immediately regretted the words, even though she had said the words in a teasing way that she had hoped he might consider it as a joke.

"This is not a fairy tale."

"No," she said softly, dropping the pretence. "It's not a fantasy, either."

His eyes fell briefly onto her lips before his gaze met hers. "I don't know about that." He raised his other hand and brought it to her throat, knuckles gently stroking the sensitive flesh of her jaw down to the dip in her throat. "Fantasies can be real."

His thumb tipped her chin ever so slightly, while his long fingers were buried in her hair. "And if this was a fantasy?" she asked breathlessly.

His eyes darkened as his head dipped towards her. "Then you wouldn't have to ask me to kiss you."

His lips met hers in a gentle touch that made her want more. Her lips parted under his, as Hayley yanked him closer with her hand on the lapels of his jacket and her tongue beckoning him to open up to her. He did as she instructed, kissing her passionately and with fervour, causing her to regret being pregnant for the second time that night because no other thought caused her excitement like the thought of taking him to bed.

She found it frustrating when he pulled away from her, making her want to chase him with her lips so she could kiss him once again. Instead, he looked at her with adoration in his eyes, and something akin to a plea before he said softly, "I will not let any harm come to you, Hayley. To you or to your child. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you," she said softly, and was rewarded by his gentle smile.

"Good."

That was the last word he said for quite some time as he showed his appreciation for her by kissing her breathlessly.


End file.
